This invention relates to armature winding machines and, in particular, to means for driving and controlling the movement of fliers in such machines.
Both electrically driven and hydraulically driven armature winding machines are known in the art. Prior electrically driven winding machines have presented the difficulty that the winding machine and its driving motor develop a considerable momentum, and such momentum has had to be absorbed by means of braking devices, which, due to friction associated with the braking function, are not capable of precise stopping functions at high speeds. Accordingly, electrically driven armature winding machines have had to be operated at low speeds to accomplish most winding operations, and their rate of production of wound armatures is correspondingly low.
Hydraulic armature winding machines have more recently been preferred in the art because it is easier with hydraulic controls to decelerate the operation of armature winding machines and, by appropriate control of machine deceleration, more accurately approach preferred flier stopping positions. However, it has still been the case that braking devices are required to establish desired winding positions. Thus, lower speeds are still required to obtain precise stopping, and wound armature production rates are also low. In addition, hydraulic machines are not generally suited for high speed operation because the necessary belting ratio changes for obtaining higher speeds often result in diminished flier torque for required operations at lower speeds. Multiple speeds to increase efficiency of the winding are not practical because of the expense and complexity of the required hydraulic parts.
In either electrically or hydraulically driven armature winding machines, problems have also been encountered in achieving control over the acceleration and deceleration of fliers from winding speeds. Overdamped and underdamped conditions frequently arise during machine operation because such control is not achieved, and such conditions have further diminished the productivity of the machines.